I learned a valuable lesson regarding my talents and my images while I was in NYC. I was a product and I had to start thinking like it. While working at the Nutcracker for 3+ years, I agreed to and did many photo shoots for them as a marketing tool. I actually never turned them down. It was fun to dress up and it was fun to play and we got amazing images. But when I decided to move to the West Coast in 1996, I was quick to learn that I had no rights to any of the images we produced. And they refused to let me have any. So I hired an entertainment attorney for a consultation to find out what my rights were. I had never signed a model release giving them the right to continue to use my images after I left so we were at a stale mate. I had worked so hard for them for years while they kept the lions share so I refused to offer to pay for them. It was the principle of the matter. All of the images. Lost. All that remains are a few old magazines with ads in them in my storage unit. But this image was taken by my friend Meike so she owed the rights and she allowed me to use it, even though it was shot for the studio I worked at. Know your rights, get model releases, don’t sign model releases unless you agree to the terms. It’s ok to ask for equal rights of the photos if it’s a trade. Your time, their time. Your equipment, their equipment. If someone pays you, they own the rights. If you pay someone, you own the rights. Make sure it’s clear before you do the shoot. Your imagery is or could be worth as much or more than their photographic skill level.
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